Juicing?

In my quest to solve my allergies naturally, I've tried all kinds of things. Everything seems to help a little bit. By the time I really know whether anything is helping, the season shifts and I'm miraculously cured anyway.

This time around, I am trying juicing. This is kind of what it sounds like, you drink juice. You drink so much juice, that you are so tired of drinking that you can't even finish what they give you. In this particular program, you get 6 Snapple sized bottles of different kinds of juice. You drink the juice labeled one first, and so on throughout the day.

All of the juices taste delicious, it's just that, by the time you're done with day one, you are kind of tired of juice. Then you look in your fridge and there are bottles and bottles of juice that need to be drank. Seriously, it was like the Atlanta wounded soldier scene from the Gone With the Wind movie. Miles of juice as far as the eye could see.

I have 6 more bottles of juice on this last day. People keep asking me if I feel any different. Well, I just cheated on my juicing with a glass of lemon water and 3 dates, and those were the most scrumptious dates that I've ever eaten. I ate half an avocado yesterday, same, delicious.

The answer is, I'm not sure that I do feel any different. Maybe the magic will kick in any minute...

CLEAN Cleanse: Day One

Today was my first official day. Quickly, this is how the program works: you have a shake and vitamin supplements for breakfast and dinner. For lunch, you can eat a normal meal, following elimination guidelines.

There are certain foods that are on the NO side of the list, and others on the YES side. Of course, the NOs include alcohol, caffeine, dairy, all meat except fish and poultry, sugar and surprisingly enough, strawberries and bananas.

You can snack throughout the day from the YES side of the list.

I haven't felt weak, or anything unusual, other than wishing I could have some of the NO items. The shakes are not tasty. I tried the first one with the recommended mix of water and had to choke that mixture back.

I went to the grocery store and bought myself an arsenal of yummy foods from the YES side of the list. I blended my second shake with coconut milk and blueberries. I was not savoring the flavor, but it was drinkable.

We'll see what happens on the weekend! Lots of temptation ahead...

Committing to a Cleanse--The Allergy Battle

My allergies have been a plague, for oh, the last 20 years. As a kid, no problem! As soon as I turned 21 and started living away from my childhood home, I was hit with a vengeance. Red monster puffy eyes, constant heavy, painful sinuses, sniffles, runny nose--name an allergy symptom, and I'll bet you I have it in one way or another.

Every time a new over the counter drug is put on the shelf, I am first in line. I've tried them all. I've seen the allergist and had numerous tests. My sinuses have been x-rayed and scoped and everyone just wants me to take more drugs and shots.

Last year I tried acupuncture. The needles freaked me out, and I couldn't say if allergy season just finally ended, or the needle poking just finally worked. Either way, I was starting to have anxiety about going to the acupuncturist, and in my own little world, I'll take the allergies.

This allergy season, I was having coffee with a friend. She was telling me that her allergy symptoms had disappeared. She was doing a cleanse, and within two days, she was better than she had been in years. Always willing to try something new, I immediately got the details.

I am on the brink of starting this cleanse program. I am writing it here to shame myself into actually starting and attempting to stick to it. I'm actually telling everyone I know, so that there is no backing out.

My kit arrives tomorrow. I will write the details as they trickle in, wish me luck. I wish you luck, as my next post will be de-caffeinated, de-wined and most probably, full of whining.

Accupuncture: My Personal Verdict

It hurts. Even if it helps me, that doesn't override my fear of the pain and the needle. Sorry, folks. Sorry, believers. I just can't go to something to cure myself that makes me anxious...and pay hundreds of dollars for it.

Moreover, I can't make an appointment and stare at the time and date on my calendar and dread it for weeks.

I can't tell between my anxiety and my allergies if I actually ever felt better or not. I wanted to believe, I wanted so badly for it to work. However, the reality is that allergy season ends for me and it hard to tell if the season ended or if the needles poking and pinching really worked.

What do they say? The cure is worse than the disease? Yup. I'm at that personal realization. I might change my mind in September when my allergies are in full bloom, but until then, I'm staying away from voluntary needles.